And
as the celebrities took to the dance floor on Monday night for the
season 18 premiere of Dancing With The Stars, all eyes were on former
child stars Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar as they did battle
for bragging rights.

Candace,
who is best known to fans as DJ Tanner in Full House, and Danica, who
played The Wonder Years' Winnie Cooper, went head-to-head in two very
different dance styles - with Candace taking on contemporary while her
competitor was given the foxtrot.

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'It's Winnie Cooper versus DJ Tanner!' Former
child stars Danica McKellar (left) and Candace Cameron Bure took their
long-held rivalry to the dance floor on Monday night as they competed
for the first time during the 18th season of Dancing With The Stars

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‘I got dumped, because he wanted to go out with
Danica!’ When the two women met during rehearsals, it came to light that
their rivalry extended to love, too, with Candace revealing actor
Jeremy Miller had broken up with her to take up with Danica back in the
day

And it turns out Candace
has every reason to be competitive with her fellow actress, with
37-year-old blonde revealing she was once dumped by a boy in favour of
the pretty brunette.

Getting
together along with their professional partners for a face-to-face
meeting, Candace, who is partnered with Mark Ballas, revealed to Danica
and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, their love rivalry.

'I
remember the phone call I got from Jeremy Miller saying, “Um, we’re
breaking up, because I have a new girlfriend - and her name is Danica”,’
Candace told the 39-year-old, later adding on camera: ‘I got dumped,
because he wanted to go out with Danica!’

Leaving
their past behind them, the ladies actually seemed to get on pretty
well, cheering each other on as they took their turns to perform.

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Foxy lady! Danica and partner Val Chmerkovskiy
impressed with their foxtrot, which landed them in joint third position
on the leaderboard at the end of the evening

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That's not something you see every day! The
39-year-old Wonder Years star looked on in amazement during rehearsals
as Val kissed his bicep

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'You
are so exuberant and warm!’ The judges only had kind words for the
star, who seemingly couldn't get over the fact that she was a contestant
on the show, jumping up and down like a 'little girl'

Danica and Val got all eights for their foxtrot - a routine that ended with her running up and kissing judge Bruno Tonioli.

‘I
love a good kisser! You are so exuberant and warm!’ he later told her,
while Carrie Ann called her ‘so adorable’ and commented that her
‘enthusiasm takes it to another level’.

‘You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, and my first impression is terrific,’ Len told her.

Danica
admitted that ‘there is something “little girl” about me’ and she wants
to ‘go on a journey to find my womanness’ like she has seen others go
on during the show.

'I was torn between ecstasy and torment': Bruno
Tonioli gushed over the routine, which was executed to the highest
degree by the 37-year-old mom-of-three

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’I
want to work with you - that was so amazing': Carrie Ann Inaba was so
impressed with Candace's moves she said she wanted to 'see it again',
calling her ‘an incredible dancer’

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Proud as punch: The star admitted she was
overwhelmed and feeling a little teary as she caught a glimpse of her
three children giving her a standing ovation from the front row

Rounding out the night in joint third
place with a respectable 24 points, it seems highly likely that the star
will be around for some weeks to come.

Edging
just ahead of her in second place was Candace, who scored eights and
nines for a combined total of 25 for her dance with Mark, which began
with the couple lying on the floor pulling mirror-image moves.

Bruno said he was ‘torn between ecstasy and torment’ by the routine.

Carrie
Ann added that she is ‘an incredible dancer’, saying: ’I want to work
with you - that was so amazing. I want to see it again!’

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Put your back in to it! Olympic Champion ice
dancer Charlie White may have appeared to have an advantage over his
competitors, but pro Sharna Burgess still had work to do getting him
used to dancing in shoes on a wooden floor

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‘Poetry in motion’: The 27-year-old went
barefoot as he performed a series of difficult lifts with his partner,
which saw him round of the evening in the number-one spot

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Top of the leaderboard: Three nines from the
judges went down a treat with the Olympic gold medallist, who seemed
genuinely surprised by his ranking

The actress - whose
three kids watched on from the audience - told her partner that she
would not be taking the sexy routine route that many competitors opt for
to get easy points.

‘I’m
not going to be your sexy girl - I’m a mom with three kids,’ she said.
’I wanna look good and feel beautiful, but I will probably stay on the
more modest end.’

Another
rivalry being played out this season is between Olympic ice dancing duo
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who are going up against one another for a
change.

The pair - the
longest-running ice dancing partnership in the history of United States
figure skating - put up two of the best performances of the night, with
Charlie finishing on top of the judges’ scoreboard with three nines.

Co-host
Erin raised the question many viewers must have also been thinking,
asking: 'You’re an ice dancer - dancing is in the description. How much
of an advantage do you have in this thing?’

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What rivalry? Charlie showed he's a good sport
as he let his ice dancing partner, Meryl Davis, rope him in to starring
in her opening routine, before she took to the floor with her DWTS
partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy

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Robbed? The stunning brunette and her pro
partner, who returned to the show after a recent break, were the ones to
watch, performing a near-perfect routine - though it wasn't reflected
in their score

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Disappointing: New co-host Erin Andrews chatted
to the stars following their performance, for which they received a
total of just 24 points, to land them in joint third position

However, the 27-year-old insisted regular dancing was just as alien to him as anyone else on the show.

‘I
think there’s a performance aspect that we’re comfortable with, but
this movement is all new to me,’ he said, having earlier admitted he
feared the ‘high expectations’ and ‘awkward transition going from the
ice to the floor’.

His contemporary dance with Sharna Burgess showed no such awkwardness, and judge Len again hinted at an unfair advantage.

‘This is like ice dancing without the ice,’ he said.

Carrie
Ann called their routine ‘poetry in motion’, while Bruno told him:
‘You’re an artist. The attention to detail on week one is incredible. It
is a very, very high standard to maintain - that was astonishing.’

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An inspiration: Professional snowboarder and double leg amputee Amy
Purdy proved there's nothing she can't do as she partnered with Derek
Hough

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'That was an honor to watch you dance': The
gutsy blonde didn't let her disability stop her from giving her all to
the impressive routine

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'You are like a beacon of light in this room':
The snowboarder had the judges in awe of her, with Bruno commenting that
he was 'gobsmacked' watching her

Meryl Davis - who was
dancing with Maksim Chmerkovskiy - got all eights to land her in joint
third place, with Carrie Ann calling the pair's cha-cha-cha ‘really
exciting to watch’, but admitting: ‘I guess I should have expected it -
you’re a gold medal champion.’

‘You’re
nice on ice, but I’m telling you - you’re good on wood,’ Len told her,
while Bruno called her the ‘queen of spins’ and joked: ‘She was going so
fast I thought she was tracking for gas. What a debut. Fantastic.’

In
a night more memorable for what was happening off the dance floor, at
least one of the new contestants made a major impression - dancing with
two prosthetic legs.

Paralympic
snowboarder Amy Purdy - who lost both legs aged 19 after contracting
Neisseria meningitis - appeared to move judge Carrie Ann to tears with
her dazzling performance with partner Derek Hough.

‘I’m in shock - I’ve never seen anything like that,’ she said, her voice cracking.

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Youngest competitor: Cody Simpson may be only
17, but he certainly impressed with his moves as he partnered newcomer
Witney Carson for a cha-cha-cha

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Hypnotising! The couple raised eyebrows with
their flirty routine, especially as the Australian singer's girlfriend
was watching on from the audience

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'The way Witney moves is, I can’t lie, kind of
distracting at times': The star stumbled when asked about the love
triangle, saying, '[Gigi] understands, you know - but I’m just... I
don’t know what to say'

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She's
not his only fan! The teenager's 18-year-old girlfriend, Gigi Hadid,
was photobombed by an enthusiastic young boy as she cheered on her beau,
not looking worried in the slightest by his display with the pretty
blonde

‘You’re more than a dancer, a contestant - you are like a beacon of light in this room. That was an honor to watch you dance.’

Bruno also said it was ‘beyond belief’, adding: ‘We have Wonder Woman in this room. How do you do it? I’m gobsmacked.’

But Len insisted her score was entirely down to the dancing, not how she overcame her handicap.

‘We
can’t judge you any different to any other star on this show, and I
think that’s how you’d like it. It’s all about the dancing,’ he
insisted. ‘You got a bronze medal in the Olympics - you got a gold medal
in the cha-cha-cha.’

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One
to watch: NeNe Leakes kicked off Dancing With The Stars' 18th season
with an energetic cha-cha-cha with partner Tony Dovolani on Monday night

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She's
bootylicious! The 46-year-old certainly wasn't shy about flaunting her
assets in the cream mini-dress featuring plenty of sequins and tassels,
complete with headband and matching tasselled stilettos

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Emotional:
The star welled up with tears following her performance, later telling
new co-host Erin Andrews that she just wanted to 'make Tony proud'

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'I wanna shake my bon-bon!' NeNe told her partner she couldn't wait to get started and show everyone what she was made of

Her efforts rounded out the three-way split for third place.

Cody
Simpson had a hard time keeping his eyes off his pro dance partner
Witney Carson - even though girlfriend Gigi Hadid, the model daughter of
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster, was watching in
the audience.

‘So, do you
have a girlfriend?’ Witney asked him right off the bat, not letting up
her flirting even after he admitted he was a taken man.

But his stunning girlfriend appeared far from his mind during rehearsals, as he was 'hypnotised' by his partner's body.

Not a happy surprise! Pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd
was completely shocked when she discovered she had been partnered with
Big Time Rush star James Maslow - who she once dated

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Not too shabby! They certainly seemed to get over their awkwardness as they took to the dance floor for a beautiful foxtrot

‘The way Witney moves is, I can’t lie, kind of distracting at times,’ the 17-year-old admitted.

‘[Gigi]
understands, you know - but I’m just... I don’t know what to say,’ he
stumbled, clearly embarrassed after being asked what his girlfriend must
be thinking.

Insisting the two women are now ‘good friends’, Witney backed him by saying: ‘She’s great, I love her - she’s awesome.’

Regardless
of any awkwardness, the couple's chemistry and impressive moves was
enough to land them in fourth place, with 22 points.

Tied in fifth place, on 21 points, were NeNe Leakes, James Maslow and Drew Carey.

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You could cut the tension with a knife! The
genetically-blessed twosome certainly proved they still have buckets of
chemistry, despite Peta never hearing back from the actor and singer
when he left town to go on tour

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'I’m keeping things professional right now': The
star admitted he would happily take the pretty blonde out on another
date, but not till after the show, as he's focused on winning

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Awkward much? A shot of the pair leaving their dinner date last month flashed up on screens, much to Peta's embarrassment

The
exuberant Real Housewives Of Atlanta star kicked off the night's
performances, giving her all to her energetic cha-cha-cha with partner
Tony Dovolani, which saw her land firmly in the judges' good favours.

Pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd had a very awkward first encounter with her celebrity partner - Big Time Rush star James Maslow.

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Putting his best foot forward: Drew Carey and
Cheryl Burke played up to his Price Is Right hosting job with their
props, while the newly-slim star showed off his 80-lb weight-loss in his
suit

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'When I was fat, I couldn’t do these things': The star scored an impressive 21 points to land him in joint fifth position

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'Just being able to move my body and be
graceful, it’s fantastic': The 55-year-old said being able to compete on
the show meant the world to him

The pretty blonde was
quite obviously stunned when she was introduced to the hunky boy band
star, whom she had recently gone on a date with.

‘Oh. My. God,’ she muttered. 'What just happened? Holy moly.’

Adding to the tension, Peta confronted James over why he totally dropped contact with her following their date.

‘You couldn’t text me or something?’ she asked him, having admitted she ‘didn’t see him again until he walked into the studio’.

Asked if ‘something happened between you guys’, Peta just made an uncomfortable facial expression, saying: ‘Interesting.’

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She has her hands full! Canadian former pro ice
hockey player Sean Avery said he was happy to live up to his bad boy
reputation on the show as he was partnered with Karina Smirnoff

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Intimate: The strong star enveloped his partner in a number of lifts during their romantic routine

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'I'll come over that desk pretty quick': The
star deadpanned that he would take up any poor scores with the judges,
though he didn't follow through on his promise despite saying he was
'disappointed' at scoring just 20

Despite
his radio silence with her when he went on tour, James admitted there
was potential for romance - but insisted it will have to wait until
after the show.

‘I’m keeping
things professional right now. But would I take her on another date?
Yeah, she’s a really cool girl,’ he said. ‘But right now, we’re here for
the same reason: we want to win.’

However,
Peta may have a love rival of her own in the form of judge Carrie Ann,
who admitted: ‘I’m, like, having a big time crush on you. You are just
so darn cute - my God!’

The
Price Is Right host Drew Carey, who also got all sevens with his
partner, Cheryl Burke, admitted that the biggest reason for going on the
show was to show how losing 80 pounds has changed his life.

‘When
I was fat, I couldn’t do these things. Now that I’ve lost this weight, I
want to do things with my body that I couldn’t do before,’ he said.

After
Carrie Ann called him the season’s ‘crowd-pleaser’, Drew said: ‘Just
being able to move my body and be graceful, it’s fantastic, you can’t
believe how much it means to me.’

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'It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish':
Diana Nyad remained optimistic despite only scoring 18 points with
partner Henry Byalikov for their foxtrot

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'I wasn’t expecting it as good as that, so well
done to you': Judge Len Goodman gave her an encouraging boost, adding
that he was confident her 'determination' would get her through

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'I didn't show all my tricks tonight': The
64-year-old revealed that she didn't give it her all, and should she
remain in the competition, she will pull out all the stops

Canadian former pro ice
hockey player Sean Avery, meanwhile, said he was more than happy to live
up to his reputation and be the bad boy of the show.

‘If one of those judges gives me a score I’m not too happy about, I’ll come over that desk pretty quick,’ he joked.

But
he also showed off his incredibly dry sense of humour, insisting most
of his preparation was watching the 1984 movie Footloose.

‘It was my favorite movie growing up. We’ve watched it like 100 times the last two weeks,’ he deadpanned.

When
he and partner Karina Smirnoff were awarded two sevens and a six for
their contemporary routine, he joked: ‘I told Karina before that we were
going to pull three 9s out, so I’m a little bit disappointed.’

She
may have broken records when she swam from Cuba to Florida, but Diana
Nyad wasn't so successful on dry land, finishing in second-last place on
just 18 points.

‘If
determination and the will to get through has got anything to do with
it, you’re going to make it,’ Len encouraged her. ‘I wasn’t expecting it
as good as that, so well done to you.’

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'Two hip replacements, you’re 77 - you did a
good job': Star Wars legend Billy Dee Williams pulled out all the stops,
complete with dancing Storm Troopers, to detract from his lack of
dancing as he took to the floor with partner Emma Slater

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'You played it very C3P0 - I want Darth Vader':
The ageing star did his best, but he was limited to only very basic
two-step moves with his arthritis in his back and having had two hip
operations

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He's
a winner as far as they're concerned! The rest of the contestants were
on their feet cheering at the Star Wars-themed routine

Diana - who took 10 attempts
before finally making her record-breaking swim - insisted she was not
worried about her poor start, partnered with newcomer Henry Byalikov.

‘You
know, they say, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish”,’ she
said, joking that other contestants have been asking her for help and
that she ‘didn’t show all my tricks tonight’.

At
the bottom of the scoreboard on opening night was the contestant who
also pulled out the most stops when it came to props - Star Wars legend
Billy Dee Williams.

Dressed
as his famous character Lando Calrissian and with dance pro Emma Slater
as Princess Leia, their cha-cha-cha also saw appearances by R2D2 and
even dancing Storm Troopers.

Bruno
told him he based his performance on the wrong character, saying: ‘You
played it very C3P0 - I want Darth Vader; bigger, more powerful.’

But
Len was impressed that the contestant - who earlier revealed he has
arthritis in his back and has had two hip operations - performed at all.

‘Two hip replacements, you’re 77 - you did a good job,’ Len told him.

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Star-studded audience: Former DWTS pro dancer
Julianne Hough (right) cheered on brother Derek and her pals as she sat
in the audience with pals Nikki Reed (centre) and Leah Remini, who
competed last season

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Talking Dirty! Jason Derülo opened the show with a bang as he performed his latest song accompanied by the DWTS pro dancers

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Look away, Jordan! The 24-year-old was
surrounded by scantily-clad women as his girlfriend, singer Jordan
Sparks, watched from the audience

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